Cliodhna Prendergast photographed by Nathalie Márquez Courtney

8 minute read time

Cliodhna lives in Connemara on the West Coast of Ireland. She is a photographer, a travel and food writer, co-founder of the storytelling and feast retreats, Lens & Larder, and a mother of three kids (and a dog). But that sentence does not, in any way, come close to portraying her creativity and eye for beauty. Take a look at her Instagram, you will get lost there. In fact, you will feel as though you’ve had a holiday by just scrolling through it. I often find myself refreshing my jaundiced digital eye by languishing over her photography - the way she captures light is something of sheer joy. And absolute talent. A woman of style, fun and substance, here she tells me the story of her life in midlife…

Which three adjectives describe you best?

Emotional, loyal, and curious.

What is on your mind most these days?

I don’t have a pension, ahhhh!

What is the last thing that you said no to?

A request to photograph someone’s wedding – it’s definitely not where my talents lie.

What is the last thing you said yes to?

Collaborating with the lovely All about Kombucha boys in Galway on a new flavour kombucha, intensely yet infectiously enthusiastic people.

How old are you?

45.

What made you decide to do what you are now doing in your life?

I don’t believe I ever really decided at any point to do what I do. I became a chef because I grew up in a hotel kitchen and my life always revolved around food, it was just a natural stepping stone, it’s what I was good at. My passion for photography caught me by surprise, but again, a natural progression, a way to express the stories behind food, people, and place.

How many things have you been in your life so far?

I have been many things in my life and many of them were and still are concurrent: a kitchen wash-up girl, an ice-cream maker, a waitress, a pastry chef, a receptionist, a terrible arts student, a waitress again, a cocktail maker, a chef, a traveller, a wife, a mother, a producer, a photographer, a writer.

Where do you come in your family, and did this have any influence on you?

I’m number three out of four, a boy on either side, two girls in the middle. As a middle child, I had to work harder to be heard but got away with things as I wasn’t the centre of attention.

Are you where you wanted to be at this stage in your life?

I never had a major plan, never knew what I wanted to do until I found myself doing it but I am very happy with my place in the world. I have always just followed on from one thing to the other naturally, following instinct. A high-risk game perhaps but so far the cards have fallen my way.

What is the best, and worst piece of advice you have received in your life so far?

My father always told me to buy quality, even when I couldn’t afford it. He was absolutely right. I am glad I ignored advice not to take a position I had been offered in a job that made me very happy for many years.

What does midlife feel like to you?

So far it feels good, calm, and mostly more assured but not always, there are moments of freak out and at times I can’t manage my emotions. But I am learning to not listen to the shitty committee in my head and speak nicely to myself.

Is there something you have dreamt of doing for a long time?

I have always wanted a small bakery/ café/ shop and I just might.

Has there been a place, event, or experience that has transformed you or given you a new perspective? And what changed after that?

Picking up a camera has given me a new perspective in every way, I see everything differently since, I see so much more beauty. I have an almost phobic aversion to cold so that sea swimming through winter has opened up a new world of possibilities, I realise now I can try almost anything I previously thought impossible.

People talk a lot about pivoting these days, of all the 'switches' you've made or recommend, which has been the most powerful change for you personally?

I have always suffered from self-doubt and then just took a deep breath and stepped off the curb. Leaving the kitchen and getting behind the lens excited and terrified me in equal measure.

Is there a milestone you are working towards in your personal or professional life at the moment?

While having a goal is important, setting big milestones can detract from the pleasure of the small successes of life. I live in the moment and although sometimes anxious about the future I don’t want to spend my life chasing a goal. It would also cause me to be less open to new ideas and directions to explore. It of course also means that if there is no goal I can never be accused of failing!

Do you feel your creativity is surging or sinking in midlife?

Definitely surging, more confidence in my midlife has meant I don’t constantly question my creativity. It is 10 years since I changed direction and it is only recently that I am shaking off a lingering imposter syndrome.

How do you think the world of work can improve for women?

I think women need to improve the world of work for themselves, become more confident, and not stand for the bullshit we have been a part of for years, as if a successful woman is exceptional. We need to own our success, our talents, and skills as the most natural of circumstances and we need to support each other in projecting this.

What do you spend too much time doing?

Procrastinating. I fret about new ideas and tasks constantly and of course, once I finally tackle them they are revealed as not such a big deal. And what do you spend too little doing? Reading, I need to find more time to read, there never seems to be enough.

How do you care for your own wellbeing?

In addition to my daily swim I make and take kefir every day which I really believe makes me stronger. I walk, in the hills or in the forest, taking in the wildness of Connemara or soaking up the green energy of the forest.

What do you feel free of now that you are at this life stage?

I certainly now feel freer from the need to explain myself, to appease or placate.

What gives you the most stress at this life stage?

While I celebrate the fact that I don’t have big milestones to achieve and like to live in the present, lack of certainty about the future does cause some stress.

Do you sleep well?

Yes, deeply, 90% of the time at least.

Do you take any supplements or HRT?

Not yet but will definitely consider it, I don’t feel the need for it yet. I take vitamin D during the winter and a multi-vit from time to time and lots of fermented foods.

What advice would you offer to your younger self?

You can do almost anything if you decide to take it on and if you practice.

Did you ever feel lost in your life path? How did you find your way again?

Oh God yes, so lost until I realised what I was doing was my life path.

What do you love about yourself?

I am pretty open-minded, I am fun-loving and I think I am a pretty good dancer, as long as it's freestyle, I make the most awful dancing partner.

When do you feel truly alive?

When I am dancing, I don’t take the notion all that often but give me a good song and the right moment and I completely lose myself in it. I have been lifted off stages all too often in life but always nicely.

What do you consider your biggest achievement?

I am 45 and I am happy.

What was a major turning point in your life?

Having children, I just grew as a person each time I gave birth and they help me continue to grow.

What are you looking forward to?

Traveling again, finding special places to write about and photograph. Dinners with lots of friends, life, seeing my children grow into young adults, and working with new people, I get huge enjoyment from working with people.

Are you a good friend?

Gosh, I hope so, I do value my friends greatly and I think we need each other more and more. We get more peculiar as we age and need to keep each other in check with a good laugh or else we will turn into cranky assholes.

What in life is beautiful to you? Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration in light, in the beauty that surrounds me living in Connemara, and in nature, I feel very close to nature in my own little way. People’s real smiles are beautiful to me when you see lovely personalities shining through.

Any regrets?

No, some things I would maybe have done a little differently but no regrets, I have had a great life, I have had huge amounts of fun every step of the way.

What are you afraid of?

Besides my mother and Keyser Söze?

Knowing what you know now, what is most important in life?

Love.

Favourite book, and why?

There are different favourites, reading Roald Dahl to my youngest, or the celebration of the human spirit in A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, but it is a novel introduced to me by my husband, and to him by his brother in law that stands out. To the Wedding by John Berger is a novel of profound beauty, humanity, and the greatest expression of love I have ever read.

Favourite piece of music, and why?

This changes, but Sigourney Weaver by John Grant. The music fills my soul, the delivery is so emotional and the lyrics hysterical, weird, and wonderful. I love to belt it out at any opportunity.

Last time you cried (tears of joy count!)

My kids will say when I talk about the pea pickers….. I cry really easily, often when telling uplifting stories about people or nice happenings. The kids laugh every time they hear the wobble in my throat, especially when I am reminding them of the hard work the pea pickers do to bring peas to their plates which I want them to eat.

How do you draw on your own inner strength and creativity?

Really working on trusting my instincts which I find difficult sometimes.

What are your feelings on this new Covid world we find ourselves in now?

I really don’t know yet …

Are you fulfilled?

Yes, my heart is full yet ever-expanding.

Prints of Cliodhna’s photography are now available for sale on her website, take a look…

Cliodhna Prendergast in conversation with Ellie Balfe, May 2021

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In Her Heyday: Cliodhna Prendergast